The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
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Book Reviews of The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Book Review: Excellent Perks
Summary: 5 Stars
Originally printed in 1999 by MTV Books and Pocket Books, this epistolary novel is written as a series of journal entries to an unnamed friend by a kid who calls himself Charlie. A coming of age book, it centers around Charlie and his transition from being a wallflower and observer to an active participant in his own life. The story deals with such issues as homosexuality, teenage suicide, child abuse, and drug use. The readers of the story follow Charlie's tales of him and his new friends as they put on productions of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, throw parties, and experience the awkward times of adolescence. We, as the audience, are drawn into the story and taken along for the ride as Charlie experiences his first kiss, is mentored by his English teacher, deals with the suicide of a friend, and experiences his first high. It is a moving story that I love to quote from. The most entertaining of which is after his first pot-laced-brownie experience where his friend and love interest asks,
"Are you seeing anything, Charlie?"
"Light."
"Does it feel good?"
"Uh-huh."
"Are you thirsty?"
"Uh-huh."
"What would you like to drink?"
"A milkshake."
And everyone in the room, except Sam, erupted in laughter.
"He's stoned."
"Are you hungry, Charlie?"
"Uh-huh."
"What would you like to eat?"
"A milkshake."
As Charlie's life progresses in high school and he becomes more extroverted, we begin to see the causes in his former disassociation and psychological issues; which I will refrain from stating to avoid exposing spoilers.
It truly is a deeply affecting coming of age story. Chbosky did an excellent job of writing this so that the reader is literally pulled into the story, feeling as if they are one of the Characters in Charlie's ever eventful and interesting life. The vocabulary and diction is spot on and could be believably be written by a slightly socially awkward high-schooler. I am even still amazed with the research Chbosky did before writing this. All of his cultural references are fairly accurate, down to the shadow cast costumes of Rocky Horror Picture Show. He even references the socially relevant works of literature, music, movies, and television shows. He has Charlie reading and becoming a fan of many of the books that I fell in love with at that age- To Kill a Mockingbird, This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, A Separate Peace, Catcher in the Rye, Naked Lunch, and The Fountainhead among others. He also included music references to The Smiths, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Ride.
It is an intense read that I think most people can relate to. Anyone who has been or is currently going through adolescence has experienced many of these issues and dealt with their own inner struggles of how to come out of their shell and interact in the world as a well-adjusted person. Chbosky's passion for Charlie, the story, and the other characters make this a book that you can't put down and silently cheer for. I've re-read this book many times and each time I find something new that I love about it. Each new read offers me a different perspective on the book for every point of my life that I'm in. The honesty, attention to detail, well developed characters, and unpredictable plot have turned this book into one of my all-time favorites. It is now even a custom in my social circles to annotate a copy and give it to a friend who has never experienced the wonder that is Charlie.
Book Review: A Great Read!
Summary: 4 Stars
I didn't know what to expect from reading the novel, Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. The reason I decided to go ahead and read it was the quirkiness of the title. I heard several different opinions about the book, but I felt it was my job to create my own. The novel describes adolescence in a new and unpredictable way. I felt after every page I was looking further into Charlie's life. My favorite part of reading a book is getting to know the characters as real people rather than just simply a name on paper, and that's exactly what I got after reading this book. "Personally, I like to think my brother is having a college experience like they do in the movies. I don't mean the big fraternity party kind of movie. More like a movie where the guy meets a smart girl who wears a lot of sweaters and drinks cocoa." This book was not only hard to put down, but kept me entertained and humor-filled throughout the entirety of the novel. Although the book had several comedic parts, it was a novel filled with sad parts as well.
At first it was hard to judge whether Charlie was going to be an interesting focal point for the novel. I felt he seemed almost too sweet to be a main character, however, I was mistaken. His curiosity of the world makes the read much more intriguing and insightful. Chbosky's writing style makes one become so engrossed in Charlie's world that it becomes difficult to remember whether it's fiction or not. I feel I can relate to Charlie because being in high school, I go through all the same drama that any other teen goes through. Why exactly is this story so special? Charlie's honesty and curiosity. I have never heard anyone voice their own opinions on life, and after reading this book, I wish more people would. Charlie says, "I love Twinkies, and the only reason I am saying that is because we are all supposed to think of reasons to live."
One thing I really loved about the novel was the honesty that is portrayed. Charlie is faced with many obstacles entering his freshman year of high school. He is told to keep secrets at the expense of one's safety, and at the expense of one's popularity. I feel I can genuinely relate to Charlie because of this. Everyone has secrets, sometimes not always their own, that they are forced to keep no matter what. The novel is so true to life. When I read this book, it seemed like Charlie was a close friend of mine, just explaining his complications in life with me, face to face. The novel brings up several topics such as death, homosexuality, sexual abuse, drugs, family life, friends, and plenty more. The reason I found this novel more interesting than other "coming of age" stories was that Chbosky's tone was not didactic.
Normally epistolary novels don't appeal to me; however, "Perks of Being a Wallflower" changed my mind. The format only helped with discovering the tone of the story. As Charlie describes his sister and her abusive boyfriend, or his love for Sam, the reader always feels like she is reading a letter sent from Charlie. The opening is always "Dear Friend", so the reader never knows whom the letters are actually going to, or if these short letters are just entries in a diary. With every page and every moment, the reader can find something both hilarious and devastating. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a humorous yet interesting coming of age story. Whether you are a popular kid or a wallflower like Charlie, I can guarantee you will enjoy the book. This is one novel that definitely exceeded my expectations.
Book Review: Book Review : The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Summary: 4 Stars
The book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky falls under the coming-of-age genre. The book is about a fifteen year old boy named Charlie and his experiences in his freshman year of high school. The book takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania close to where the author himself grew up. Charlie is extremely naive at the beginning of the book but with help from his eighteen year old friends, he quickly adapts to the good and bad things that high-schoolers encounter in their everyday lives.
The book is basically a journal of Charlie's life but in letter form. He doesn't write a letter at the end of every day but he writes whenever anything out of the ordinary occurs. You can see from the beginning of the book that Charlie has a variety of problems entering high school. You learn that his best friend committed suicide a year ago, and that the one friend that he did have in middle school besides the one that committed suicide, has become extremely popular and never even looks in Charlie's direction any more. Charlie's English teacher takes him under his wing and challenges Charlie to read more difficult books and also encourages Charlie participate in life instead of just being a wallflower. Charlie's first attempt at this, leads him to meeting two of his new best friends with which he experiences happy and depressing things. The fact that Stephen Chbosky is so raw and uncensored in his writing is what really makes this book so intriguing. He goes through just about everything that the average high school student does and maybe even more. He writes about his experiences with drugs, abortion, sex, parties, fights, girlfriends, and other things of that nature. The fact that the book is so true to life is why many readers can relate to this book. Everyone can relate to at least some of the experiences Charlie has. Although it is a controversial book, it needs to be read by teenagers because if nothing more, it will teach you to get involved in life rather than just sit on the sidelines and let life pass you by. It will also teach you to appreciate the circumstances that everyone by whom we are surrounded is going through. It will teach you to respect everyone because we all come from different walks of life, and that the experiences others go through is what makes them who they are. We all start off the same, but we are not all raised in the same environment; therefore we all become different or "who we are." Chbosky also does an excellent job at embodying the thoughts that go through a fifteen year-old's mind and even writes the letters with grammar and punctuation errors to add to the realism. I think that maybe the only way he was able to do such an excellent job at writing the book is because it may be written about the life that he had in high school although he never admitted that this book was a true story.
All in all, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an excellent read and will change the way that you view people that seem isolated. Everyone that reads this book that has been through high school will get something out of it because there are so many experiences and ways to relate to the delicate character portrayed by Charlie. This book may also open the eyes of many parents who have forgotten what it was like to be in high school, and this sudden realization might cause them to pay more attention to their kids in high school. Whatever walk of life you come from, you will pull something away from this book and hopefully it will change your outlook on life as it has mine.
Book Review: Perks of Being A Wallflower
Summary: 4 Stars
The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chboskky is a captivating novel about adolescent development through social experiences and interactions. The story, written in the form of letters, is narrated by a shy introvert who is intelligent beyond his years. The accurate and rambling voice of a troubled freshman is what makes this book unique and touching. Charlie is a confused boy bordering adulthood who takes the reader through an emotional and dramatic journey of his first year of high school.
Charlie, like most high schoolers, is faced with every day battles: an older sister who thinks he is a pest, parents who don't want him staying out too late, and bullies in the school hallway. But Charlie is also exposed to extreme and intense situations such as violence, rape, and the suicide of his best friend just a year earlier. These exposures, along with the sexual abuse he endured as a kid, cause Charlie worry about things that others would find insignificant and immerse the reader in his life to the point at which we feel like his experiences are happening to us.
Charlie, although he is unaware of it, struggles with the disloyalty of those closest to him. He loved his Aunt Helen very dearly, but her betrayal is ultimately the reason why he can't "participate" in life. He is "very interested and fascinated by how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other." Walking through the hallways or sitting alone smoking a cigarette leads Charlie to strange and unsettling realizations.
The idea of submission plays a huge role in Charlie's life, especially when he starts dating a girl named Mary Elizabeth. Mary Elizabeth is infatuated by beauty and is constantly asking Charlie if he thinks she is pretty. Charlie, not knowing any better, completely gives in to Mary Elizabeth's pleas and this eventually leads to their breakup. When Charlie's homosexual friend, Patrick, makes advances at Charlie, Charlie doesn't object. At the end of the story we learn that Aunt Helen's actions made a strong impact on Charlie's character even though he was unaware of this.
With the help of his teacher Bill, who recognizes his potential, and his friends Sam and Patrick, Charlie attempts desperately to figure out what is wrong with him. Every day in Charlie's life is filled with dramatic events and heavy thinking. But Charlie is wise, and he therefore knew when he was going to that "unhappy place," or in other words a mental breakdown. When he was feeling happy, he would say things like "I don't want to start thinking again. Not like I have this last week. I can't think again. Not ever again." Of course, Charlie wasn't able to stop his thinking and he was usually left feeling even more confused and frustrated.
This is a story that will stick with you long after you've finished reading. Each letter leaves you feeling more intrigued by and sympathetic towards Charlie. The only part of the story I found unsettling was that we never learn whom Charlie is addressing these letters to. All we know is that Charlie is anonymous and he therefore speaks openly and freely to the recipient of the letters. I would definitely recommend this novel to teenagers and readers who don't always need a happy ending. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is quick and easy to read. You will either identify with or be irritated by Charlie, but as a reader you won't be able to detach yourself from this quirky narrator. Chobsky perfectly captures Charlie's heart wrenching tidbits in this novel.
Book Review: Plot and themes are unrealistic and heavy-handed, but this remains an emotional and meaningful book. Recommeded
Summary: 4 Stars
Charlie is about to start high school, and so he begins to send letters to an anonymous stranger as an outlet for his fears. His letters continue through the school year, recording his friendships, high school life, mental issues, and ongoing battle to emerge from passivity and actively engage with the world. Although heavy-handed in its themes and discussing a surfeit of difficult issues from suicide to drug use to homosexuality, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is remarkably good. Realistic characters make up for the the unrealistic plot, and Charlie's epiphanies about life and happiness, however small they may be, are meaningful and resonant. The book is swiftly readable, emotional, and meaningful, and I recommend it.
I wish that I had read The Perks of Being a Wallflower when I was a young adult, because I think I would have enjoyed it even more then. Reading it as an adult, the book is still quite good--but its flaws are more noticeable. From premise to plot, too much of the book is unrealistic. Charlie's letters function as a direct address to the reader, but why he writes them is never adequately explained. Although he is a wallflower--the very premise of the book--Charlie quickly becomes friends with a group of students, and through them (and his siblings) faces all number of difficult issues: (discrimination against and coming to terms with) homosexuality, drug use, rape, dating, sexual activity and promiscuity, pregnancy and abortion, mental health, and suicide, to name a few. With so many issues in such a short book, each becomes abrupt and heavy-handed, and some are immediately reduced to a single important theme.
Despite these flaws, I enjoyed the book. It is swiftly readable, Chbosky's adolescent voice is almost too accurate, but best of all: despite its heavy-handedness, The Perks of Being a Wallflower manages to be remarkably sensitive and tug more than a few heartstrings. Though the plot lacks subtlety, Charlie does not. His thoughtful and emotional approach to his friends and environment grants him starting perception, and his continual battle to rise from thought into action is a never-ending coming of age story which is appropriate for all readers. No matter how blatant many of his epiphanies are, Charlie's small discoveries about his potential and happiness remain true and meaningful. The book is emotional, sometimes depressing, but ultimately empowering.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower was not all that I expected it would be (based on the recommendation that I'd heard), and I believe that it is more relevant and enjoyable to the intended young adult audience. Nonetheless, I'm glad to have read it, and I can see why it's become a YA classic--and, for its subject matter, why it is controversial. Although somewhat blatant and heavy-handed, the novel deals with a number of difficult issues which may affect teens, denying neither their existence nor danger. But where the book really shines is in Charlie's personal and private discoveries, things not inspired by drug use or teen sexual activity. When he feels "infinite," driving and listening to music with his friends, both Charlie and the reader are exhilarated by the potential of life--a message well worth taking away. I enjoyed this book despite its faults, and I recommend it to all audiences.